Halima Aden become first model to wear a burkini in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue

Somali-American model Halima Aden has made history by becoming the first model to wear a hijab and burkini for the Sports Illustrated magazine's annual swimsuit issue. The upcoming May issue of the magazine features the 21-year-old model, wearing a burkini (a full body swimsuit) and a hijab. This is especially significant for a magazine which has, for decades, chosen bikini-clad models for its famous swimsuit issues.

Halima Aden spoke about how much the photoshoot meant to her in an interview with Sports Illustrated. "Growing up in the States, I never felt represented, because I could never flip through a magazine and see a girl who was wearing a hijab," she said.

Born in Kenya, where she lived in a refugee camp, Ms Aden moved to Minnesota at the age of seven. In 2016, she became the first participant to wear a hijab at the Miss Minnesota USA pageant.

Her Sports Illustrated shoot, photographed by Yu Tsai, took place at Kenya's Watamu Beach.

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